DEERFIELD TWP. - Kings School Board spent Tuesday poring over 29 applications for the district's next superintendent in anticipation of conducting interviews later this month.

Board members have said they would like finalists to tour the district before the end of the school year. The new superintendent should be chosen in mid-June and be in office by mid-July, giving the new administrator time to shadow current Superintendent David Query before he retires in August.

"But if we find (Tuesday night) there's one golden candidate and the window of opportunity is now, then we're going to jump on it," school board President Konrad Kircher said during a community forum on the superintendent search Monday night.

Seven people attended the interactive forum, which was held to gather residents' opinions on attributes they felt were important in Query's successor.

Attendees said they wanted an experienced leader who could find creative solutions to the district's problems. They also are looking for someone who is cost-conscious and would communicate openly with staff, parents and the community.

"I'm looking for someone with good vision who is driven to meet that vision," said Doug Martin, a Deerfield Township father of three. "I think all those qualities play into that."

Roger Effron of Cincinnati's Effron & Associates, who was hired last month to help with the search, led Monday's forum.

Feedback from those sessions and responses from an online superintendent search survey will be shared with the school board to help them evaluate the applicants, Effron said.